I got this blouse from J. Crew on clearance and it is absolutely sumptuous. I’ve been wearing it nearly daily under sweaters.
Soft as silk
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Author Archives: Justine
You’re not allowed to be bored
You know you’re a bad, infrequent, neglectful blogger when you forget the log-in username and password and spend an hour resetting it to just post! Well, it happens to the best of us. Life happens.
I have not bought a new piece of clothing in months and haven’t used my Visa since September (bought a bag) so I’m quite proud of myself! I hope I can keep it up while holiday sales are going on.
I’ve been digging in the far corners of my closet and forced myself to wear something I haven’t worn in ages. And if I didn’t feel like wearing it when I pulled it out, it meant I should donate it. I’ve placed a bin at the bottom of my closet called my “Donate” bin so that it makes purging much easier and on-the-go rather than a full-day planned session.
I am wearing:
Plaid shirt: Bluenotes
Jeans: BDG Cigarette High-Rise Jean – Pure Blue from Urban Outfitters
Shoes: Spring, 3 years ago
Autumn, I welcome you.
I got another pair of new frames. Yes, another… but this time they’re the ones I’ve been eyeing on for the past couple of months. The free pair I wore in my previous post just didn’t cut it. Not because it was free, but the lenses were just a couple centimeters too big. I searched high and low for them, only to find that Clearly Contacts would provide them for the lowest price possible. It came with a really cute rectangular prism box:
I loooove them.
I am wearing:
Glasses: Christian Dior 3197
Shirt: Vintage
Skirt: Vintage
Suspenders: Dad’s
Shoes: eBay
Magic hour
The best time to take outfit photos (and any photos for that matter) is at around 4:00-5:00 in the afternoon. That’s when the sun sets and the light is just right (if it isn’t overcast/cloudy). If you miss it, you miss it. But there is always tomorrow.
These huge hipster glasses have my new prescription (I’m nearsighted) and got them free from Clearly Contacts (well, I had to pay for shipping which was like $15-$17). They have promotions for free glasses (select frames) every so often. I keep a lookout for promotional codes from Smart Canucks. The funny thing is, Clearly Contacts never had freebie promos for contact lenses, even though their business name sounds like they’re all about contacts, clearly (ha!). It’s like that restaurant with the words “express donuts” in the name, but they don’t sell donuts (???) and are well-known for their quick chow mein lunches.
I’m trying not to depend on my glasses so much, but it’s really hard. I find that I even need to wear them when I’m in front of the computer! And the screen isn’t even that far away from me! I guess my eyesight is getting worse…
I kind of got a little overboard at Forever21 and suddenly bought 5 dresses from there in a span of 4 weeks! I don’t know, I never really bought dresses from there since I know they don’t last long and probably made by sweatshop workers, but they’re so cute!! And I guess, like the rest of the middle class, I passively feed the exploitative system and perpetuate bad business practices because I think “they’re so cute!”.
I try to stop and think — is wearing cute clothes a priority over ethical consumption? But it’s too late, the credit card has been swiped and the ethical shopper in me had lost. But the battle was already lost when I stepped into the store.
Now I’m trying to just spend my lunch hours with bubbly new co-workers and have insightful conversations, rather than walk around the big mall like an Olympic sport. Like any addiction or bad habit, the first step is to replace those bad activities with something else (hopefully better), and take other conscious steps to ween off of it. Baby steps….
I am wearing:
Dress: Forever 21
Purse: Vintage
Shoes: Korea
Glasses: Clearly Contacts
Review: HANA Titanium Ionic 1.5″ Flat Iron
The awesome folks over at Misikko sent us the awesome HANA Titanium Ionic 1.5″ Flat Iron with all the tools to help us with our hair woes. Included was a heat-proof pad and storage pouch, to prevent burning of countertops (in case you set it on a plastic-y tablecloth). It’s handy when you’re done using the flat iron and need to put it away quickly while it’s still hot.
Justine’s hair is naturally super straight, in search for the natural kinks and waves that Chris has!
We normally use hair straighteners that have ceramic plates. The plates change colour when the iron is hot. New to titanium straighteners, we consulted the instruction guide and found that there is a red LED indicator light (see above picture) that starts out as a steady/still red light. It blinks when the desired temperature is reached. If the light is off but the switch is set to On, the iron is decreasing temperature to a lower setting. Good to know!
We timed the heat-up time and the straightener took about 1 minute, 30 seconds to go from 0 to 370 degrees.
Once heated up, we got iron-happy and used it to add curls to Justine’s pin straight hair, and straighten Chris’ kinks and waves. The plates are very smooth,which allow for the hair to glide through without any tugging.
Overall, the HANA Titanium Ionic 1.5″ Flat Iron performed well and we appreciate that it maintained its heat throughout its use. The adjustable heat dial allows users to choose a temperature that best suits their hair type. Hotter if your hair is healthier, cooler if your hair is damaged. It heats as low as 140 degrees fahrenheit to as hot as 450 degrees fahrenheit. Despite the hot temperatures that it can reach, it is energy efficient at only 38 Watts. It also has a 360 swivel cord to prevent cord tangling and accidents caused by cord tangling.
The heat up time may be considered too long for some people in the rush in the morning, but we found it is an improvement from our early experience with drugstore flat irons that took 5-10 minutes to heat up (and sometimes they wouldn’t heat to desired temperatures!). It is a great iron for those who are making that jump from drugstore irons to salon-quality irons.
Thanks again to the folks at Misikko!
Don’t sweat the small stuff
Yikes, my last post was on April 26. I really don’t know where the entire month of May went, or the first half of 2011 for that matter.
For the most part, I’ve been alright. I’ve been going through the usual tough stuff that any 20-something goes through, and the unusual tough stuff that I’d rather not get into. The things that make us vulnerable are the things that can make us so strong. At the end of the day, if I have the freedom to express myself with art and style, I am thankful and grateful. There is no more that I could ask for.
I guess these thoughts are sinking in after I lost a lot of material things that brought me so much stress, and at the same time, I lost a lot people and things that were irreplaceable. I had several wake up calls which came in just in time. Without making this too cryptic or serious, the positive side is that I learned a lot of lessons and I feel that I value different things. Now all I need to do is keep it going, and make sure I don’t fall back into old bad habits.
These shoes are so cute but they gave me a blister today. Note to self: only wear these with cotton/wool tights or socks.
I am wearing:
Cardigan sweater: Heritage 1981
Dress: Vintage
Shoes: eBay
Outfit photography: Lots of Light
By weekday I am a full-time business management student, by weekend I am a photographer that shoots figure skating and the occasional self-outfit photo. Sports photography (especially indoor sports) requires super fast lenses that are ridiculously expensive (but worthwhile for the work I want to do). Outfit photos, I’ve learned, do not need anything fancy. I’m serious!
The day my Canon Rebel T2i broke down (I’m sending it to repairs), I took a very close look at all the lenses I had. I purchased a lot of third-party lenses by Sigma (with a Canon mount) to avoid having to pay triple the price for a Canon lens. The end result was a lot of lenses (I was up to 5, a lot for an amateur photographer) and none of them were really up to my satisfaction. Some had trouble focusing in low-light settings, some were just plain too heavy for the little they did…. I sucked it up over the weekend and decided to trade in all my Sigma lenses. I barely used them for those reasons.
These photos were taken with the Canon 18-55mm kit lens that came with the Rebel XT and taken with the Rebel XT body.
These shots were taken in a very dark room on a cloudy day.
What I Did:
- Opened the curtains allllll the way so I could let in as much light as possible
- Slowed down the shutter speed
- Bumped up the ISO to 1600
- Stood really still
That’s it really takes to expose a photo correctly with very little available light!
Not to mention, the 18-55mm kit lens is SO light in comparison to my other lenses for sports photography (the one I mainly use for figure skating weighs about 5 lbs. and I use it for 3-5 hours at a time — it’s literally like weight lifting!).
Anyway, the lesson here is that you don’t need anything expensive to produce good photographs of outfits.
All you really need is:
LOTS OF LIGHT!
What I wore:
Cardigan: Urban Outfitters
Blouse: Sears
Shorts: High school uniform pants turned into shorts
Shoes: Korean brand (eBay)
Hint of Print
I found the weirdest thing in my mom’s closet: a printed floral skinny belt.
I am print-adverse when I dress up, even though I love looking at prints and patterns on others. Maybe because I’m always afraid it will look weird on me (like how horizontal stripes make a person look wider, or how large florals make a person look like they’re wearing a muumuu). Whenever I find a really pretty print, I always try to minimize it. It’s not something I’m proud of, it’s just a self-conscious trait of mine.
Anyway, I’m taking advantage of this strange printed belt and adding it to an otherwise boring outfit consisting of plain solid colours. It’s so unusual… most people would use a solid belt to breakup a printed dress or something, but this is just really a freak of vintage!
And I love that it’s the kind you aren’t limited to belt holes. I think belt holes are evil!! They’re like an indication that you’re too skinny or too big. This is the kind where you just slide it in and tighten according to however comfortable you feel. That’s how all belts should be like…
What I’m Wearing:
T-shirt: Gap
Pants: Vintage (mom’s)
Belt: Vintage (mom’s)
Purse: Vintage (Etsy)
Shoes: Korean brand (eBay)
Dress to focus
I learned from a research study (I’m trying to find the exact source and link!) that candidates who dress professionally actually convey an elevated level of poise and self-confidence during telephone interviews.
Please excuse the low-quality photos. I haven’t been too keen on bringing along my DSLR with me everywhere and the iPhone has been my newest photography stand-in thing.
This scarf always makes me look like a flight attendant... I kind of like that look hehe.
Through my countless years (okay, four) in university I’ve wondered why I study better at school or at a café rather than at home. I realized it wasn’t just the environment that had influence in my ability to focus on assignments/studying/reading. It was a combination of all that plus dressing up!
To save time and money from going out, I decided to try it by dressing up in my going-out-to-study clothes and getting down to business:
Can you tell I took this in a bathroom? Haha...
It worked, a little better than wearing pyjamas, at least! However, only dressing up doesn’t beat having a “time limit” (cafés have to close up at the end of the night!) and the pressure of a public atmosphere (I feel shameful for going on Facebook or Twitter in a study spot). But try it! Wear what you’d wear outside and see how it goes… 
I am wearing:
Blazer: Zara
Skirt: Zara
Shirt: The Gap
Scarf: My mom’s
Shoes: Naya (omg these were the most expensive flats I’ve ever bought but they’re sooo comfy)
Hey, nice outfit!
I had a heavy night of conversation with my girl friends and realized we’ve reached that age where we begin to talk about the quickly-approaching future — owning property, being particular about our careers, plans for marriage/family/children/etc. We start to see how others play the game of life — the conventional ways and the very bold ways. I think I am the type to do the bold, unconventional path but probably cave in to the pressure of eventually “settling down”. At this tender age of my early 20′s, of course right now I want to be independent and have no one to answer to, or no one’s schedule to accommodate. But later on, I will probably yearn to care for someone and raise a child. It’s like people who hit their 30′s will have that desire to kick in naturally. Maybe I’ll get a dog or cat to fulfill the desire.
I feel like I might do a disfavour to society if I have children and not be fully prepared to raise him/her. But then again — is anyone prepared to raise a child? You need a license to drive a car, but no license to have children. For eternity people have searched for the answer to why people choose to have children. Some have explained that it is the ultimate sign of love and selflessness, and if you’re in your 30′s or 40′s and still childless, it means you are afraid of going through the pain and suffering of being a parent. Well, excuse me for sparing you a child that probably doesn’t get enough love or attention.
I don’t know. I think my thoughts about marriage and children will change. I will probably want them later on. Right now I just feel like people get married and have children because they don’t know what else to do with their lives. Our society is so dependent on templates and following historical patterns because it is the safest thing and only thing to do in life. And women are told that, biologically, the chance to have children will disappear before they are emotionally ready. That’s too bad.
It’s interesting to see how needs and goals in life change every couple years. In high school, having a boyfriend was the most important thing to me. And now, the most important thing is whether I will have a fulfilling career that isn’t soul crushing. In a couple years, the most important thing to me will probably be what house to buy and whether I can still eat cheesecake.
Ahh, I don’t know what I’m putting such a loaded thought into this blog. I guess I just want to see who actually comes here to read text and who will just say, “hey, nice outfit!” lol. HI!!!
I am wearing:
Blouse: Vintage (Etsy)
Sweater: Gap
Pants: Sears by Attitude
Shoes: Kenneth Cole 925 Silver Belle